 There is this rather quirky Japanese developer that goes by the name, Skip, Ltd. Stateside, you might know them as the developer of the Chibi Robo series. If you follow the Japanese scene also, you may know a bit more about them. In fact, most of their games have been released only in Japan. It's a real damn shame. You know, they developed many of the Bit Generations Games. These small, quirky games are sort of like the Wii Sports and Wii Play for the Game Boy Advance, but cooler. Way cooler. Of course, such is to be expected from the former Square employees, people who may have worked on one of the Best Games Ever, Chrono Trigger.
So, Skip really hasn't seen many releases Stateside aside from Chibi Robo, and it's a shame, a real damn shame. We've not only missed out on the Bit Generations series, but also other interesting and quirky games like GiFTPiA, a GameCube Game where you as the main character have to earn back your honor. It's a real interesting, and unique, game. Sadly, it's Japan only, and that pains me.
Skip has a new project, and I imagine that if you follow the gaming blogs at all you probably know what it is. The title is called Captain Rainbow, and aside from looking like a homoerotic fantasy, it looks pretty damn amazing. You play as a super hero, Captain Rainbow, who does all types of heroics on an island filled with washed up Nintendo Characters. The concept is absolutely genius, and given the track record, I bet it doesn't come out here. Very, very sad.
Check out the videos, after the jump.
Continue reading Why does NOA do this to US?
 As this hobby of ours levels off and the initial rush of collectors begins weeding out those who aren't as dedicated, have grown bored or can no longer afford it, we begin to read deeper into the trends that are developed by those who have stuck it out for several years. You begin to notice these trends when chatting about certain systems or about one's progress towards their personal goals or reading about a huge score.
One trend in particular that I have found both interesting and somewhat disguised is for someone to have in their collection, a system or several systems that they don't particularly care for or play, but insist it's a worthy investment and have no wish to part with. No one seems to talk about it openly but you can read between the lines on what they honestly think of it. I call this trend "system pity".
System pity is owning a system you don't play, and buying games you care nothing for or only have a minor interest in, because you think it should sit on your shelf to complete your collection. Maybe you feel you've missed out on something by not having one. Maybe you can't understand why it was popular but every once in a while, you pop in a game and try to figure it out for yourself. Not to be confused with buying an obscure system or a rare one, system pity is directed more towards a system you have experience with, yet have no real love for.
My personal object of system pity is the Nintendo Gamecube, and on a lesser scale, the Nintendo 64. Now I'm not going to turn this into a bashing article, as that is not my intent. Not every video game system made appeals to every gamer ever born. That's a simple truth we can all appreciate.
I had a Gamecube early in it's lifecycle. It had some good games I honestly enjoyed like Star Wars Rogue Squadron II and Wave Race: Blue Storm. What it didn't have was enough games to warrant keeping one in my living room, prompting me to get rid of it later on. Much of my distaste for it came from how the games were being made and it's reliance on 1st party games to keep it afloat. Games similar in philosophy and style to the N64 library, which also has a few great games but not a well rounded library. Of course the horrible controller didn't help matters much either, especially if you have large hands.
Later on when the Wii came out several friends who knew I collected offered their Gamecubes to me, some with games, accessories etc. I didn't accept any of them because I honestly had no idea what I'd do with them. Free is free sure but if all it would do is sit in the closet untouched, well there's not much point in having it now is there?
Then at some point later on, a large assortment of Gamecubes, memory cards, controllers, games etc just seemed to be falling into my lap. Brand new stuff, top rated games etc. were finding their way into my hands and it quickly gathered into a decent collection of titles and hardware one could be proud of. I started reading about other gamers and collector's experiences with the Gamecube and why they enjoyed it so much. I talked with friends and family who have fond memories of that system and hoped the Wii would provide the same enjoyment for them.
Although for the most part I didn't share in these opinions of these games, I decided then and there that having a Gamecube collection could be a shameless indulgence of mine. I still look at the little toyish looking system with the dinky fisher price controllers and wonder how it even accomplished what it did. Oddly enough it was the one and only mainstream game system I didn't own. That's where the pity started.
So now as I type this, 7 feet away from a Gamecube that has been hooked into my AV hub for who knows how long, I don't question having it anymore. Sure it gets less usage than my R-Zone, gathers more dust than my TRS-80, but the pity I feel for Nintendo's 3rd and decidedly weakest machine, cements it's place in my collection. And someday, with patience and an open mind, I just may figure out what all the fuss was about.
So, have you got a system you own just to own? Something you have just for the sake of having and to round out your collection? Maybe something you keep hooked up because it seems popular with your friends and guests who enjoy playing it at your house? What's your object of system pity?
 During the development of their GameCube gaming system, Nintendo partnered with Matsushita-owned Panasonic to manufacture the disc drive for their console. As part of this agreement, a license was issued to Panasonic to be able to utilize the base GameCube software technology for their own system, if they chose to do so. Needless to say, Panasonic decided to exercise this contract clause and released one of the most visually attractive hardware units of all time - the Panasonic Q. Debuting just three months after its parent in December, 2001, this system ultimately proved that the old adage "looks aren't everything" was true - especially if not priced correctly.
Released exclusively in Japan, the Panasonic Q was developed to address the fact that the GameCube's main competitors, the Sony Playstation 2 and shortly after the Microsoft Xbox, supported DVD movie playback out of the box while Nintendo did not incorporate this feature into its machine. Hoping to capitalize on this supposed oversight, the Panasonic Q was born. This was Nintendo's second attempt at licensing game hardware technology to a third party manufacturer, the first being the Sharp Twin Famicom. The initial venture did not prove to be successful for neither Nintendo nor Sharp. History would once again repeat itself with this new partnership with Matsushita.
 As stated earlier, the Panasonic Q is one of the most striking consoles ever released. Sporting a mirrored front facing with a scratch-protective coating, the overall design is extremely advanced and crisp. Soft-touch buttons line the respective left and right sides and give quick access to sound, game and other options. The subtle but tasteful use of the Panasonic label is centered at the top of the main interface, with a smooth front loading DVDGC hybrid player residing just below. Four controller ports, accented with neon ice-blue lighting around their circumference, are featured across the front of the unit with two standard GameCube memory card slots lying in unison just below. All button, port labeling and compatibility logos (DVD, CD, DTS, GameCube, and Dolby), are detailed in pure white and are surprising easy to read against the reflective background. Standard DVD buttons and controls are located on the top of the unit, along with the most stunning feature of the Panasonic Q - the backlit LCD display. This message center has a futuristic look and provides relevant data (mostly on DVD play). The 'Hello' and 'Goodbye' sequence that is displayed when powering onoff the system is also a nice touch that further exemplifies the extra care that was put into it's design.
Technically, the gaming hardware in the Panasonic Q is identical to the Nintendo GameCube. There are literally no variations - please see the overview of the Nintendo GameCube for these details. That being said, owners of the Panasonic Q will enjoy the following audio enhancements over their GameCube brethren: Dialog Enhancer, Cinema, Surround and Bass Plus. All of these audio modes modify or boost a respective frequency to produce subtle if not unremarkable effects during game and DVD play. These options do not have level adjustment or customizable settings that can be modified. This is unfortunate but really not that important considering that most televisions at the time incorporated these features anyway.
 Matsushita's marketing plan was to develop a DVD player with gaming capabilities, rather than just producing a video game console. The Panasonic Q hit the mark in this area with a DVD player that exceeded the industry standards of the time. While lacking the bells and whistles of some of the higher-end players available, DVD playback is extremely detailed, displayed in bold and vibrant colors. The included DVD remote is easy to use (though all text is in Japanese) and contains the basic playback controls. At the time, the DVD player performance of the Sony Playstation 2 and Microsoft Xbox paled in comparison. There is another bonus feature in this area - region free game and movie support. The first model only supported NTSC Region 2 disks and Japanese-released GameCube software. After a very short period of time, a second model was made available that fully supported NTSC Regions 1 through 6 as well as USA game disks. Unfortunately, there was no official PAL released unit and VCD playback is also not supported.
 While the advantages of owning the Panasonic Q over the Nintendo GameCube are significant, the decision to purchase one was not an easy task in 2001. The first release debuted at $439 USD (equivalent to $545 USD in 2007) and the multi-region version could be yours for $499 ($635 USD in 2007). This price point severely limited the potential buying market, especially since the GameCube and a separate DVD player could be purchased for less.
With excellent DVD playback, multi-region media support, audio enhancements and its stylish look, the Panasonic Q is a definite upgrade to its Nintendo GameCube parent. Since the system was released in limited quantities, be prepared to spend a good amount to acquire one. A CIB (complete in box) unit will cost you around $200 to $300 dependant upon condition. Compare this to being to get a comparable GameCube system for around $20. If you are just looking for a video game console, the advantages of the Panasonic Q really can not be justified. For the collector, this system will definitely stand out on your gaming shelves.
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